Garment bagger



F. UMBRIACO Feb. 14, 1961 GARMENT BAGGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 25, 1959 INVENTOR. FRANK Unsmco Arws Feb. 14, 1961 F. UMBRIACO 0 GARMENT BAGGER Filed May 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [NVENTOR FRANK UMBRIACO United States Patent GARMENT BAGGER Frank Umbriaco, 3114 S. Princeton, Chicago 16, Ill.

Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,340

Claims. (Cl. 53-256) This invention relates to garment bagging apparatus for aiding the operator of a dry cleaning store in applying garment bags over hanger-supported dry cleaned garments. Such garment bagging apparatus have commonly included a vertical member having a hook at the bottom thereof for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger. An open-bottom paper garment bag having the usual hanger neck-receiving opening in the top thereof was pushed up over the vertical member to an elevation above the hook. Then, the garment hanger carrying a dry cleaned garment was hung on the hook and the garment bag pulled down over the garment.

In the more expensive garment bagging apparatuses heretofore used, bag carrier units were provided which slide upon the vertical member and spring means were used for urging the bag carrier units into a raised position upon the vertical member. Means were also sometimes provided for locking the bag carrier units into a lowered position so that the operator could use both hands to apply the bags thereto.

In recent years, instead of making garment bags of paper, they have been made of exceedingly thin, flexible synthetic plastic material. In contrast to the paper garment bags, these thin synthetic plastic garment bags are so flimsy and flaccid that difficulties are encountered in applying the bags to most of the garment bagging apparatuses heretofore made and the apparatuses frequently damage the bags.

Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide a garment bagging apparatus which is especially useful in applying the aforesaid synthetic plastic garment bags over hanger-supported garments, and is of a much simpler and less expensive construction than the garment bagging apparatuses of a similar type heretofore made.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a garment bagging apparatus of the type above described which includes an improved bag carrier unit which is provided with means for holding a synthetic plastic bag in place thereon in a manner which minimizes the possibiilty of damage to the bags. A related object of the invention is to provide garment bagging apparatus including an improved bag carrier unit which is provided with means for securely locking the bag carrier unit in place in any one of a number of selected lowered positions so that it can be conveniently used by operators of varying height. A still further related object of the invention is to provide garment bagging apparatus including an improved bag carrier unit where the aforesaid bag carrier locking and bag holding means are formed by the same component parts, thereby making a bag carrier of very simple and inexpensive construction.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a garment bagging apparatus which is portable and includes in a single portable frame means for holding supplies of garment bags within convenient reach of the operator in addition to the necessary component parts for applying the bags to the hanger-supported garments.

"ice

A detailed description of the present invention will be shown and described, and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent, in the specification to follow, the claims and drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a ceiling mounted garment bagging apparatus incorporating the features of the present invention, with the bag carrier unit in a lowered position as a garment bag is being pulled over a hanger supported garment;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the garment bagging apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the garment bagging apparatus of Fig. 1, as seen from viewing plane 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the bag carrier unit used in the garment bagging apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged transverse sectional view through the bag carrier unit of Fig. 4, taken along section line 55 therein;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged transverse sectional view through the bag carrier unit of Fig. 4, taken along section line 66 therein;

Fig. 7 is a further enlarged transverse sectional view through the bag carrier unit of Fig. 4, taken along section line 7-7 therein;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of a modified form of bag carrier unit which may be substituted for the bag carrier unit shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the bag carrier unit in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view through the bag carrier unit of Fig. 8, taken along section line 10-10 therein;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of a still further modified carrier unit surrounding a modified vertical member on which it slides;

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of a portable garment bagging apparatus forming another aspect of the present invention; and

Fig. 13 is a front elevational view of the portable apparatus shown in Fig. 12.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the garment bagging apparatus there shown includes a vertical member 2, which is preferably made of aluminum tubular stock, a bag carrier unit 4 for supporting a paper or synthetic plastic garment bag which carrier unit surrounds and is slidably mounted upon the vertical member 2, means generally indicated by reference numeral 6 for urging the bag carrier unit into the raised position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and a means 8 shown in the form of a hook for suspending the hooked neck of a hanger 10 supporting a dry cleaned garment 12 to be bagged.

The vertical member 2 is designed to be supported from the ceiling 14, although, insofar as the present invention is concerned, it could be supported from a floorsupported standard (not shown). As'illustrated, the vertical member 2 is a hollow cylindrical tube whose upper end is adjustably secured around the rod 16 in any suitable way, such as by clamping means 27. surrounding a split upper end portion 23 of the vertical member 2. The clamping means 22 is shown as a U-shaped extension of a metal arm 26 made from angular metal stock. The U-shaped arm extension 22 is clamped in place by nut and bolt means 24. A pulley wheel 28 is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis adjacent the front or inner end of the arm 26 and a similar pulley wheel 30 is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis adjacent the outer or rear end of the arm 26. A cable 32 passes around the tops of the pulleys 28 and 30. The rear portion of the cable 32 extending down from the rear pulley 30 carries a suitable weight 34 at the end thereof and the front portion of the cable extending down. from the front pulley 28 connects with the bag carrier 4. The weight 34 is such that it slightly overbalances the weight at the other end of the cable 32 including the bag carrier unit 4, so that the bag carrier unit is urged into the upper position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the bag carrier contacts the clamping means 22.

The pulley carrying arm 26 has a flange 35 extending horizontally from the bottom thereof on the side carrying the pulley wheels. The flange is provided with cable guide openings 37-37 on the opposite ends thereof through which the cable 32 passes.

One of the important aspects of the present invention relates to the construction of the bag carrier unit 4 which includes means (to be described) for clamping the bag in place in a manner which enables the raising of the bag 5 around the vertical member 2 without damaging the same, and also for securely locking the bag carrier in any selected lowered position thereof. Reference should now be made to Figs. 4-7 which show one of the simplest forms of the bag carrier unit 4.

The bag carrier unit 4 comprises a tubular body 36 made of aluminum or other suitable material. The tubular body 36 has a shape conforming to the shape of the vertical member 2 which, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is cylindrical. The bag carrier unit further includes a pair of arcuate or wing-shaped clamping members 38-38 which are positioned with their longitudinal axes in a common vertical plane with the longitudinal axis of the tubular body 36, and with the convex sides thereof facing the tubular body. The upper end portions 39 of the wing-shaped clamping members are transversely inwardly curved or bent to form confronting channels which generally follow the contour of the vertical member 2, and the lower end portions 40 of the clamping members are transversely inwardly curved or bent to form confronting channels generally following the contour of the cylindrical body 36.

Extending inwardly from the opposite side edges of the medial portion of each of the clamping members are a pair of arms 42-42. The arms of the clamping members are interleaved and extend adjacent the opposite sides of the tubular body 36. The arms 42 are pivotally mounted about a common horizontal axis upon the upper end of the tubular body 36 by any suitable means, such as by pivot pins 46-46 which pass through aligned holes in the aforesaid arm and the tubular body, as illustrated most clearly in Fig. 5. The ends of the pins 46 are flattened to form rivet heads which hold the pins in place. The upper ends of the clamping members extend well above the top of the tubular body 36 and the lower ends, for all positions thereof, terminate above the bottom of the tubular body.

Suitable spring means 48-48 are associated with the arms 42-42 on each side of the tubular body 36. The spring means 48 each may comprise a series of coils 50 terminating in ends 52-52 which hook through openings 54-54 located adjacent the bases of the associated arms 42-42. The openings 54-54 are located along a line which passes through the axis of the adjacent pivot pin 46 when the wing-shaped clamping members are in an intermediate position (not shown) where both the upper and lower ends thereof are spaced the maximum distances from the vertical member 2 and tubular body 36. The spring ends 52-52 exert an inward force tending to draw the clamping members together. With the construction described, it is apparent that the lower ends 40-40 of the clamping members will be resiliently urged against the tubular body 36 when they are moved below said intermediate position, and the upper ends 39-39 of the clamping members will be resiliently urged against the vertical member 2 when they are moved above said intermediate position. The lowermost and uppermost positions of the clamping members are respectively referred to as the bag-holding and carrier-holding positions thereof. To increase the degree of locking action obtained in the carrier-holding position, the friction between the upper ends of the clamping members and the vertical member may be increased by coating or otherwise covering the inner surfaces of the tips of the upper ends of the clamping members with a suitable friction increasing material identified by reference numeral 54 in Fig. 7. The manner of using the bag carrier unit just described is as follows: Before hanging the hanger-supported garment 12 upon the hanger hook 8, the bag carrier unit is in a lowered position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and the wing-shaped clamping members 38-38 are in their carrier-holding position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4. The resilient force of the springs 48-48 then urges the upper ends 39-39 of the clamping members into tight engagement with the vertical member 2 which locks the bag carrier unit in place upon the vertical member in the selected lowered position thereof. In applying the bag 5 to the bag carrier unit, the operator grasps the upper end or neck portion 56 of the bag with both hands and slips the opening (not shown) in the top of the bag around the bottom portion of the vertical member 2 and pushes the bag up over the bottom end portion of the tubular body 36. Then he grasps the then outwardly extending lower ends 40 of the clamping members and draws them together to bring them into their bag-holding position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4. The shape and placement of the lower ends of the clamping members on opposite sides of the vertical member 2- similarly grasps the neck of the bag at substantially all points therearound, which minimizes the chance of binding between the bag and the vertical member 2 when the bag is raised upon release of the bag carrier unit by the operator. The Weight 34 supplies the necessary force for raising the bag into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Next, the hanger-supported garment is hung upon the hanger hook 8. The operator then grasps the open bottom end of the bag 5 and pulls the same over the garment 12. When the garment bag is in its fully lowered position around the garment 12, the operator grasps the outwardly extending upper ends 39 of the clamping members and draws the same together to bring them into the aforesaid carrier-holding position.

Reference should now be made to the embodiment of the bag carrier unit illustrated in Figs. 8-10, and generally identified by reference numeral 4'. The main difference between bag carrier unit 4' and the bag carrier unit previ-- ously described resides in the construction of the arms 42-42 extending from each of the clamping members. These arms in the carrier 4' are each made in two sections. The first or inner section 42a is formed integrally with the main body of the associated wing-shaped member 38 and the second or outer section 42b is formed by a flange or arm or a U-shaped member 53, the other arm or flange 42b of which forms the outer arm section of the other associated inner arm section 42a of the clamping member involved. Each of the outer arm sections 42b is pivotally connected to the associated inner arm section by a pivotfcrming rivet 57 passing through adjacent overlapping portions of the arm sections 42a and 42b. The outer sections 42b-42b of the adjacent interleaved arms of the clamping members are pivotally mounted about a common horizontal axis by pivot pins 46-46.

The principal advantage of the two-sectioned arms of the bag carrier unit 4' is that, for clamping members of a given size, the springs can be positioned further from the common pivot axis of the pivot pin 46 to give better leverage and, therefore, better locking action than is the case with the integral arm construction of the clamping members of the big carrier unit 4.

Refer now to Fig. 11 which shows a still further modified form of bag carrier unit 4" which differs from the first described bag carrier unit 4 in the shape of the clamping members 38"-33". The upper end portions 39"-39" of the clamping members are transversely flat and straight longitudinally and have inwardly extending flanges 58-58 and 59 along the sides and end thereof to avoid sharp exposed metal edges and also to provide a locking lip formed by the end flange 59. The vertical member 2 is provided with a horizontal groove or notch 61 near the bottom end thereof into which the locking lip 59 extends when the carrier unit 4" is in its lowered position and the clamping members are in their carrier holding position. The straight shape of the upper end portions 39"39" of the clamping members and the type of carrier locking action provided thereby enable the shortening of the upper ends of the clamping arms so that they project a lesser extent when the clamping arms are in their bag holding position shown in dotted lines. They can, therefore, be more easily grasped and drawn into their carrier holding position.

Refer now to Figs. 12 and 13 which illustrate another aspect of the present invention wherein the garment bagging apparatus is mounted on a portable unit 60 which also includes means for holding a supply of garment bags 5, 5 and 5 of varying size in a position where they can be conveniently grasped for attachment to the garment bagging apparatus. The portable unit 60 comprises a tubular base frame portion 62 having left and right hand side sections 64-66 between the upper portions of which a series of horizontal bars 68, 70 and 72 extend from diiferent points along upwardly inclined tubular side members 74-74. A number of bags of the same size are folded around each of the aforesaid rods which are positioned at an elevation to be within easy reach of the operator, as illustrated in Fig. 11. The base frame portion 62 carries rollers 76 at the bottom thereof to enable the frame unit 60 to be moved about to any convenient location.

The portable unit 60 additionally includes a vertical post 78 extending upwardly from the rear of the base frame portion 62 to an elevation greater than the height of the largest bag to be used with the unit. A horizontal arm 80 extends forwardly from the top of the portion 78 and terminates in a depending arm 82 overlying a point in front of the base frame portion 62. The vertical arm 82 has a hook or other suitable hanger supporting means 8 at the bottom thereof. A bag carrier unit 4 which may be identical to the bag carrier units previously described surrounds and is slidable upon the vertical arm 82.

Supported from both the top portion of the post 78 and the vertical arm 82 is a pulley-carrying arm 26' rotatably supporting front and rear pulley'wheels 28 and 30'. Extending over the pulley wheels is a cable 32' carrying at the rear end thereof a weight 34'. The forward end of the cable connects with the bag carrier unit 4 in the manner previously described.

The operation of the bagging portion of the portable unit 60 is the same as previously described. It is apparent that the base frame portion 62 provides a highly advantageous portable support for the bagging apparatus and the bags 5, 5 and 5".

It should be understood that numerous modifications may be made of the preferred forms of the invention above described without deviating from the broader aspects of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated Well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom of said vertical member for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced from said bottom position in the neighborhood of the height of said bag and means for urging said, bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body and slidable along said vertical member, bag-holding means on said tubular body, said bag-holding means having a carrier holding portion which extends beyond said tubular body and a bag holding portion, means supporting said bagholding means for movement on said tubular body between a carrier holding position where said carrier holding portion engages said vertical member and holds it in place and a bag-holding position where said bag-holding portion holds the bag on the carrier, and means for locking said bag-holding means in said carrier holding position and in said bag-holding position, said bag-holding means in said carrier-holding position frictionally engagng said vertical member to hold said carrier in place thereon.

2. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom of said vertical member for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced from said bottom position, in the neighborhood of the height of said bag and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable along said vertical member, and vertically elongated wing-shaped bag-holding means on said tubular body, said bag-holding means having a carrier holding portion at one end which extends beyond said tubular body and a bag-holding portion at the other end which terminates short of the end of the tubular body, means supporting said bag-holding means for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis located intermediate the ends of said bag holding means and between a carrier holding position where said one end thereof is against said vertical member and a bag-holding position where said other end thereof is against said tubular body, and means for resiliently urging said bag holding means against said vertical member and said tubular body automatically as said bag-holding means is pivoted beyond a given intermediate position in one direction or another, said bag-holding means in said carrier holding position frictionally engaging said vertical member to hold said carrier in place thereon.

3. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom of said vertical member for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced from said bottom position in the neighborhood of the height of said bag and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable along said vertical member, and vertically elongated bag-holding means on said tubular body, said bagholding means having a carrier holding portion at one end which extends beyond said tubular body and a bagholding portion at the other end which terminates short of the end of the tubular body, means supporting said bag-holding means for pivotal movement. about a horizontal axis located intermediate the ends of said bagholding means and between a carrier holding position where said one end thereof engages said vertical member to hold the carrier in place and a bag-holding position where said other end thereof is against said tubular body, and means for locking said bag-holding means in said carrier holding and bag-holding positions.

4. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom of said vertical member for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced from said bottom position in the neighborhood of the height of said bag and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable along said vertical member, and vertically elongated wing-shaped bag-holding means on said tubular body, said bag-holding means having a top carrier holding portion which extends beyond said tubular body and a bottom bag holding portion which terminates short of the end of the tubular body, means supporting said bag-holding means for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis located intermediate the ends of said bag holding means and between a carrier holding position where the top thereof engages said vertical member to hold the carrier in place and a bag-holding position where the bottom thereof is against said tubular body, and means for locking said bag-holding means in said carrier holding and bag-holding positions.

5. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom thereof for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced approximately the height of said bag from said bottom position, and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable upon said vertical member, and vertically elongated carrierholding means on said tubular body, said carrier holding means having a top carrier-holding portion which extends above said tubular body and a bottom bag-holding portion, means supporting said carrier-holding means for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis located intermediate the ends of said carrier-holding means, said carrier-holding means being thereby pivotal into a carrier-holding position where the top portion thereof contacts said vertical member, and means for resiliently urging said carrier-holding means into said carrier-holding position where the latter frictionally engages said vertical member, the upper end of said carrier-holding means being covered by a friction imparting material which increases the friction between said vertical member and said carrier-holding means.

6. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom thereof for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced approximately the height of said bag from said bottom position, and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable upon said vertical member, and a pair of wing-shaped clamping members on opposite sides of said tubular body and oriented with their longitudinal axes in a common vertical plan with the longitudinal axisof said vertical member and the ends thereof inclining generally away from said vertical member, the upper portions of said clamp ing member above said tubular body and the lower portions thereof terminate above the bottom of said tubular body, said clamping members being provided with arms extending inwardly from intermediate portions, thereof to points adjacent the said tubular body, pivot means extending horizontally transversely between said arms and said tubular body for pivotally supporting both clamping members about a common horizontal axis, wherein the clamping members are pivotal between a carrier-holding position where the upper portions of the clamping members engage said vertical member and a bag-holding position where the lower portions of said clamping members engage said tubular body, and means for resiliently selectively holding said clamping members in said carrierholding and bag-holding position.

7. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom thereof for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced approximately the height of said bag from said bottom position, and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising; a tubular body surrounding and slidable upon said vertical member, and a pair of wing-shaped clamping members on opposite sides of said tubular body and oriented with their longitudinal axes in a common vertical plan with the longitudinal axis of said vertical member and the ends thereof inclining generally away from said vertical member, the upper portions of said clamping member above said tubular body and the lower portions thereof terminating above the bottom of said tubular body, the upper portions of said clamping members each being transversely inwardly bent so as to form a channel which generally conforms to the contour of said vertical member, the lower portions of said clamping member each being transversely inwardly bent to form a channel which generally conforms to the contour of said tubular body, said clamping members being provided with arms extending inwardly from intermediate portions, thereof to point adjacent said tubular body, pivot means extending horizontally transversely between said arms and said tubular body for pivotally supporting both clamp ing members about a common horizontal axis, wherein the clamping members are pivotal between a carrierholding position where the upper portions of the clamping members fit snugly around said vertical member and a bag-holding position where the lower portions of said clamping members fit snugly around said tubular body, and means for resiliently selectively holding said clamping members in said carrier-holding and bag-holding position.

8. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom thereof for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced approximately the height of said bag from said bottom position, and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable upon said vertical-member,-and a pair of wing-shaped clamping members on opposite sides of said tubular body and oriented with their longitudinal axes in a common vertical plan with the longitudinal axis of said vertical member and the ends thereof inclining generally away from said vertical member, the upper portions of said clamping member extending above said tubular body and the lower portions thereof terminating above the bottom of said tubular body, said clamping members being provided with arms extending inwardly from intermediate portions thereof to points adjacent the said tubualr body, pivot means extending horizontally transversely between said arms and said tubular body for pivotally supporting both clamping members about a common horizontal axis, wherein the clamping members are pivotal between a carrier-holding position where the upper portions of the clamping members engage said vertical member and a bag-holding position where the lower portions of said clamping members engage said tubular body, and means for resiliently selectively holding said clamping members in said carrienholding and bag-holding positions, said means comprising spring means connected between intermediate portions of said clamping members for drawing the same inwardly, the points of connection of said spring means to said clamping member falling along a line through said common horizontal axis when the clamping members are in a position intermediate said carrier holding and bag-holding positions, so that the spring means urge the clamping members into said carrierholding position when the clamping members are pivoted in one direction beyond said intermediate position and into said bag-holding position when moved in the other direction beyond said intermediate position.

9. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported a, an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom thereof for receiving the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carn'er member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced approximately the height of said bag from said bottom position and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position, the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable upon said vertical member, and a pair of wing-shaped clamping members of opposite sides of said tubular body and oriented with their longitudinal axes in a common vertical plan with the longitudinal axis of said vertical memher and the ends thereof inclining generally away from said vertical member, the upper portions of said clamping members extending above said tubular body and the lower portions thereof terminating above the bottom of said tubular body, said clamping members being provided with arms extending inwardly from intermediate portions thereof to points adjacent said tubular body, each of said arms having an inner section rigidly connected to the associated clamping member and an outer section which is pivotally connected to the inner section, pivot means extending horizontally transversely between the outer sections of said arms and said tubular body for pivotally supporting both clamping members about a common horizontal axis, wherein the clamping members are pivotal between a carrier-holding position where the upper portions of the clamping members engage said vertical member and a bag-holding position Where the lower portions of said clamping members engage said tubular body, and means for resiliently selectively holding said clamping members in said carrier-holding and bag-holding positions, said means comprising spring means connected between intermediate portions of said clamping members for drawing the same inwardly, the points of connection of said spring means to said clamping members falling along a line passing through said common horizontal axis when the clamping members are in a position intermediate said carrier-holding and bag-holding positions, so that the spring means urge the clamping members into said carrier-holding position when the clamping members are pivoted in one direction beyond said intermediate position and into said bag-holding position when moved in the other direction beyond said intermediate position.

10. In a garment bagger comprising a vertical member having a length at least the height of the garment bag to be used therewith and supported at an elevation where the bottom thereof is elevated well above floor level so that the garment to be covered can be suspended from the bottom thereof, means at the bottom thereof for receiv-- ing the hooked neck of a garment hanger, a bag carrier member slidably disposed on said vertical member for movement between a bottom position adjacent the bottom of said vertical member to a raised position spaced approximately the height of said bag from said bottom position, and means for urging said bag carrier to said raised position. the improvement in said bag carrier comprising: a tubular body surrounding and slidable upon said vertical member, and a pair of wing-shaped clamping members on opposite sides of said tubular body and oriented with their longitudinal axes in a common vertical plan with the longitudinal axis of said vertical member and the ends thereof inclining generally away from said vertical member, the upper portions of said clamping member extending above said tubular body and the lower portions thereof terminating above the bottom of said tubular body, said clamping members being provided with arms extending inwardly from intermediate portions thereof to points adjacent the said tubular body, pivot means extending horizontally transversely between said arms and said tubular body for pivotally supporting both clamping members about a common horizontal axis, wherein the clamping members are pivotal between a carrier-holding position where the upper portions of the clamping members engage said vertical member and a bag-holding position where the lower portions of said clamping members engage said tubular body, the upper portions of said clamping members having inwardly extending lips, said vertical member having a groove therein adjacent the bottom thereof into which said lips extend when the bag carrier is in its bottom position, and means for resiliently selectively holding said clamping members in said carrierholding and bag-holding positions, said means comprising spring means connected between intermediate portions of said clamping members for drawing the same inwardly, the points of connection of said spring means to said clamping member falling along a line through said common horizontal axis when the clamping members are in a position intermediate said carrier-holding and bagholding positions, so that the spring means urge the clamping members into said carrier-holding position when the clamping members are pivoted in one direction beyond said intermediate position and into said bag-holding position when moved in the other direction beyond said intermediate position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,82l,672 Seidler Sept. 1, 1931 1,830,368 McEwen Nov. 3, 1931 2,122,852 Whitley July 5, 1938 2,628,755 Marchionda Feb. 17, 1953 2,705,099 Johnson Mar. 29, 1955 2,755,610 Johnson July 24, 1056 2,861,408 Schultz Nov. 28, 1958 

